Minimally invasive surgical techniques continue to evolve for the benefit of patients. In the past, many cardiac surgical procedures were performed using a sternotomy (opening or cracking of the sternum in the chest) to gain access to the heart and often had recovery times which were measured in months, with multiple weeks of post-operative care in the hospital, substantial amounts of post-operative pain, and long-lasting restrictions which kept patients away from favorite activities and work. By contrast, many of these same cardiac procedures, such as aortic and/or mitral valve repair/replacement, may be done using minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques. With MIS, the surgeons perform all the steps of the operation through one or more small incisions in a patient, for example, a small incision in the intercostal spaces between a patient's ribs. A variety of MIS tools and viewing scopes have been developed to facilitate working through such small access sites. While the intercostal openings may provide adequate access to pertinent portions of a patient's heart, in some patients the heart may be positioned further away from the chosen incision than is ideal, thereby making the MIS cardiac procedure more difficult and potentially time consuming. Therefore, there is a need for MIS devices and methods which enable surgeons to move or gently nudge the heart closer to the intercostal incision through which the heart will be accessed for a given procedure. In addition to reducing the cost of surgical procedures, such devices and methods can reduce the amount of time patients need to be attached to a cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) machine, thereby reducing the likelihood of CPB-related side effects. Faster and more reliable cardiac operations offer additional benefits, such as reduced surgical team fatigue and more efficient use of critical resources. Expediting cardiac surgery can also improve patient outcomes.